


and the colors are spilling from you like a waterfall

by cacowhistle



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: M/M, Post-Squip, Soulmate AU, let the boys be happy, p fluffy fic i guess, yes the squip happened in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-06 14:36:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11038185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cacowhistle/pseuds/cacowhistle
Summary: They say you know you've met your soulmate when you can see color. They say you automatically know the colors, once you see them. They say the first ones you see are the color of your soulmate's eyes. They say you have to be touching your soulmate to be able to even see the colors in the first place.Well, he just hasn't come into contact with all of them at the same time yet.It's a shame it's beginning to wear down on his self-esteem.





	1. you're drippin' like a saturated sunrise

[jeremy] i'm still pretty worried though.

[jake] you'll do fine, man. trust us, we know.

[rich] yea ur gonna do great babe trust us

[rich] ur gonna fuckin destroy all the other ppl auditioning

[rich] sorry chrissie but hes gonna beat u

[jeremy] rich i don't think i can beat christine at an audition there are multiple lead roles.

[michael] youre still gonna kick ass trust us

[chris] Hell yeah you are.

[chris] If you don't get a lead role I'm gonna be surprised.

[jake] agreed.

[jeremy] aaaaaagh why do you all have this much faith in me??

He fell back onto the pillows, listening to the soft hum of the radio, the words like white noise, blending into the sounds of his fan, of the noises outside. The sky outside was a blend of oranges and lilacs, yellows blending into reds and blues - to most. To him, it was monochrome, a million different shades of greys. Jeremy considered taking a picture, but decided against it. He absentmindedly hummed along, picking at the sheets on his bed, his hand drifting across the pattern, tracing it.

_ Make it on my own, but I don't wanna grow up; we can stay forever young. _

He nodded along, a dog's bark sounding outside. A child ran past, laughing with a friend.

_ Living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola; underneath the rising sun. _

He turned onto his stomach, beginning to text again.

[rich] i think we killed him with our praise michael go check on him

[jeremy] no, i'm here. just thinking.

[jeremy] man, almost time for school to start again, too. one more month and then we're back in the swing of things.

[jeremy] i feel like things are so different from last year

[jeremy] who knew i'd be on speaking terms with any of you.

[rich] well, the incident did bring us all closer together, i think.

[rich] and so here we are

[rich] or should i say

[jeremy] don't

[michael] do not

[rich]  _ heere we are _

[michael] im coming to your house now to slap you

[jeremy] slap him twice, once for me and once for you

[michael] will do, mahal

[jake] please don't beat up our boyfriend

[rich] bring it, nerd

[rich] gonna kick ur ass

[michael] wanna bet

[rich] hell yea i bet u five bucks im gonna win

[michael] i see five bucks in my future

Jeremy giggled a little, rolling his eyes.  _ Dorks.  _ He sat up, looking out the window again. Still humming.

He stood, stretching, yawning. His eyes drifted over the room lazily, as if he wanted to do  _ something _ , but nothing was appealing to him. He knew that he had to finish a summer reading project, but four weeks was plenty of time for him to finish that. He sifted through the papers on his desk, pausing at one. The form for an out-of-school drama program. He'd agreed to try out with Christine, although it had taken plenty of convincing.

He stared at the form for a moment, then took a pen - a blue one, but he didn't know that - and began to fill it out. What he wanted to do - act, of course he wanted to act. What was his range? He figured he was a pretty good soprano, once he was warmed up.

_ The clock is ticking, so stay. _

Resisting the urge to doodle on the corners of the paper, Jeremy continued to fill out the form. Neat, looped, almost regal-looking cursive sat on the lines. Now that he was in the mood to draw, it was like everything he did looked artsy. He began to fish around the drawer of the desk for a sketchbook with room in it.

_ All you have to do is wait a second, your hands on mine. _

There. He flipped through the sketchbook, finding an unfinished sketch - it kind of looked like Jake. He studied it for a moment, deciding to finish the sketch. The low hum of the music continued in the background, just barely heard over the fan that rotated slowly, a fresh wave of cool air hitting his back every minute or so.

_ The clock is ticking, so stay. _

His hand moved swiftly, in controlled strokes, the picture slowly taking shape. It wasn't a terrible drawing, either. That one would be a keeper. Maybe he'd show the art teacher. She'd always liked his sketches. She'd always thought that he would be a great photographer as well, he just needed to find his soulmate, and see in color before he could do anything with his art.

He always shot back that at least his images had character - nobody else tried coloring in things before they could see the colors. Jeremy just didn't care, he'd pick colors at random - and the art teacher  _ loved  _ it.

He sort of hoped that he  _ didn't  _ meet his soulmate, just so he could continue using odd, clashing colors with an excuse.

_ All you have to do is stay a minute, just take your time. _

He sat back, studying the image for a moment. Not bad. He wasn't going to color this one. He pushed back in his chair, standing up again - eyes once more drifting across the room, searching for something to do. He finally left the room, going down the stairs.

Huh, he could've sworn his dad was home. Probably just went out to run an errand or two. The thought of throwing a party crossed his mind for about a second, and he dismissed it immediately. He wasn't the type to throw a huge party when his dad wasn't home. That was more like Rich or Jake, but not him.

He went into the kitchen, swinging open the refrigerator, scanning the contents. There was hardly anything good - probably why his dad was out, getting groceries.

Jeremy pulled out his phone as it buzzed - as if on cue, his dad had texted him, asking him if he wanted anything from the grocery store. He typed a quick reply - maybe some soda, anything except for Mountain Dew. Although his dad already knew that he wouldn't want Mountain Dew ever again.

He opened up the group chat again.

[jeremy] there's no food in my house

[jeremy] anybody have anything good

[rich] uhhhhhh i have a plate of cold spaghetti right next to me

[rich] its been sitting here for about an hour

[michael] dude thats gross i dare you to eat it

[rich] ew no

[rich] i might go heat it up again actually im p hungry lmao

[jeremy] yea we have nothing. the only thing in the fridge is one singular beer

[michael] ohhhhh jeremy's getting druuuuuunk

[jeremy] what no

[jeremy] gross

[jeremy] last time i had beer it didn't go well

[jeremy] then again last time i had beer i was also like, being forced to drink it

[jeremy] that was fun

[rich] god ikr

[rich] so much fun

[rich] being forced to do things you dont want to do

[rich] being tormented if u dont do it

[rich] haha great time

Jeremy stared at his phone. Not the conversation he'd wanted to start up.

_ All you have to do is wait a second, your hands on mine. _

[michael] rich are you okay??

A full minute passed. Rich never took this long to reply.

[jake] Rich? you there, love?

[michael] jake can you go check on him?

[jake] yeah give me a moment

[jeremy] shit this was my fault wasn't it

He bit his lip, foot tapping, fingers drumming against the table restlessly. He glanced up, then back down at his phone.

[jake] okay we're good

[jake] he went to heat up his food

[jake] so we got worried for nothing

[rich] hey you know what

[rich] cant a man just have his spaghetti without his three wonderful boyfriends getting worried about him???

[jeremy] no

[jeremy] because i thought i'd upset you

[rich] aw babe dont worry im good

[rich] seriously though, sorry for freaking you guys out

[michael] we were just worried

[rich] i gathered

[rich] ok this spaghetti is calling my name im gonna go heat it up now

Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief, then returned his attention to the fridge. Nothing good. He shut it again, grabbing a glass and filling it with water, then returned to his room. The radio was still playing.

_ Won't admit what I already know, I've never been the best at letting go. _

He put the glass down, glancing towards the radio. He hummed along for a moment, considering singing. Nah, not in the mood. He wasn't even that good - even if everyone else said he was, he wasn't convinced. He stared down at his hands, sitting down.

There wasn't anything to do without friends around.

He was thankful that Michael was coming back from the music camp he'd been at, though. He'd been bored out of his mind without his Player Two, unable to just hang at Michael's place. Although Michael had been having the time of his life, so Jeremy couldn't really complain. If Michael was happy, he was happy.

Besides, he'd gotten to spend some quality time with Rich and Jake. That was just as good as hanging out with Michael. And they were always able to cheer him up, especially Rich. Everything he did, he added a touch of humor. It always made his day a thousand times better when he saw Rich.

And Jake,  _ God _ , Jake was like a sturdy rock in a raging river. Something he could cling to, something he could steady himself on. Whenever he was upset, he could always go to Jake. He was practically always available. If Jeremy texted him at three in the morning, he'd respond right away. He loved both of them so much - but neither of them seemed to be his soulmate. He'd hoped that at least one of them was - he'd  _ expected  _ for his world to light up with color every time he came into contact with Michael.

But it never did.

_ Make it on my own, but I don't wanna grow up; we can stay forever young. _

He sat on his bed, burying his face in his hands. He didn't like these thoughts, he didn't like thinking about these things. It was awful, thinking that none of these boys were his soulmate. Maybe two of them were soulmates. Maybe they'd already found out, and were planning to ditch the other two.

Maybe all three of them were, and he was the odd one out. Maybe they were all waiting for the day he left their little square. 

Jeremy choked on the sob, trying to steady his breathing. Short little gasps couldn't be heard over the music, over the fan.

_ Living on my sofa, drinking rum and cola; underneath the rising sun. _

Deep breaths. In for four seconds, hold for four seconds, out for four seconds. A little trick Jake had taught him one night, when he was beginning to panic, beginning to get lost in the darker, scarier thoughts.

He hummed along to the music, finding a steady beat to breathe to.

_ I could give a thousand reasons why; but you're going, and you know that. _

He'd be fine. He was always fine.


	2. you're spillin' like an overflowin' sink

"It's nothing, I swear. Just drop it, man."

They paced their room, their head tilted so their phone was firmly in place between their shoulder and their ear. Like one of those suburban soccer moms, rushing to do a million errands within the span of an hour. They were fidgeting with their hands, running them through their hair, tugging at the hem of their shirt. All the things they did when they were nervous.

Their fan hummed in the background, the radio still playing, too. They hoped the sound was enough to drown out the tremor in their voice as they spoke to Michael. The impromptu call had startled them out of his upset haze.

"Hey, I can sense the bullshit, Jer. I know when my favorite person's upset. So what's up, dude?"

They winced. "Maybe don't use 'dude' today."

"Sorry, mahal. What's today, then?"

"They."

"M'k. I gotcha, I gotcha. So what's bothering you?"   
  
Jeremy continued to pace their room, unsure of whether or not they  _ wanted  _ to talk about it. They idly hummed along with the radio, staring at their feet as they paced. They weren't usually this restless.

_ But I don't wanna be the puppet that you're playing on a string; this queen don't need a king. _

"I'm… I'm not sure. Just - a lot of different things, I guess?" They finally stopped pacing, sitting down on their bed.  
  
They examined their hands - a pale, ghostly white against several different greys for a background. And then they noticed the shaking. A chill ran up Jeremy's spine, and they shivered.

"Can you - can you come over? Or text Rich, or Jake, or just get somebody over here?" They tried to keep the desperation out of their voice, but Michael picked up on it immediately.

"Of course, mahal. I'm going to text Jake and Rich, and I'll be right over. Can you wait ten minutes, or should I stay on the call with you?"

"I-I can last ten minutes."

Deep breaths. Just take deep breaths.

"Okay. I'll be there soon, don't worry."

Jeremy focused on the radio, trying to tap out the beat of the song on their leg. They hummed along, giving them something to do, something to think about, something to count to.

_ Oh, I don't know what you've been told; but this gal right here's gonna rule the world. _

They continued to tap out the beat on their leg, trying to calm down. It wasn't helping all that much. Jeremy stood, pacing again. He hummed, whispering the words under his uneven breaths. He ran a pale hand through his hair, eyes darting around the room, not stopping to rest on anything specific for more than a second.

_ "Yeah, that is where I'm gonna be because I wanna be. No, I don't wanna sit still, look pretty." _

He tried to steady his breathing, and his phone buzzed. He snatched it up, still singing quietly, sort of breathlessly.

[rich] hey babe u good?

[rich] michael texted us

_ You get off on your 9 to 5; dream of picket fences and trophy wives. _

[jeremy] no

[jeremy] well i mean

[jeremy] sort of??

[jeremy] yea no

[jake] we're on our way right now

[jeremy] you dont have to

[jeremy] its fine im just being stupid

[rich] consider this: no

[rich] im coming over now

[jeremy] rich stay where you are

[rich] the window's already broken so

[jake] Rich did you seriously break the window

[rich] … no

[jeremy] rich

[jeremy] rich why

[rich] im already halfway down the street

[jeremy] nno stopping him now

He glared at his hands as they shook, little tremors making his fingers twitch ever so slightly. He just wanted to  _ relax _ , why was that always so hard for him to do? No matter where he was, he could never completely relax.

A shaking white hand passed through dark grey hair, curling into it as he tried to calm down. Somebody would be there soon. He occupied himself by singing along to the radio, loud enough to be heard over the fan, loud enough to drown out his frantic heartbeat.

_ "But no, I'm never gonna be, 'cause I don't wanna be. No, I don't wanna sit still look pretty." _

He stared out the window, barely registering the truck parked outside his house, the three getting out of the truck, heading for his front door. He took a shaky breath, swallowing, trying to stay somewhat calm.

"Jeremy?"

His head shot up, eyes wide. Jake was in the doorway, watching him with concerned eyes. He began to shake again, fighting back the tears, the sobs. He gave a nervous laugh, hands curling into his hair again as he buried his face in his arms. He barely registered the person beside him, rubbing his back, asking what was wrong. He felt the bed dip under the weight of two other people, and he knew it was all three of them.

What did he do? He'd done  _ something _ , they wouldn't all be here otherwise. He'd fucked up, hadn't he? He definitely had. Christ, what was he supposed to say? Were they going to break up with him?   
  
His stomach twisted into a knot at the thought.  _ Of course they are. All three of them are soulmates and you're the odd one out, just like you were thinking earlier. Of fucking course, that's what's happening. _

"Y-You're breaking up with me, right? That's - that's what this is, right? Or I, I did something wrong and you're all mad at me - that's, that's what happened. You wouldn't all be here at the same time otherwise-" He shivered, shoulders hunching.

They all tried speaking at once, words overlapping.

"No, of course not-" "Jer, we would  _ never _ -" "What the hell makes you say that?"

He didn't look up, face still buried in his arms, hands still curled into his hair. "I - I-" He fought back the sob, shaking like a leaf. "Why do you all talk to me? Why do you all - all  _ care  _ about me? I-I'm not, I'm not  _ worth it _ , I-"

A hand under his chin, pushing his head up so he would look at them. Rich was on the floor in front of him, crouched.

"I'm gonna have you stop that sentence right there, babe." He was frowning a little,  _ he'd fucked up, he'd fucked up Rich was annoyed with him, oh  _ **_god_ ** _ - _

"Jer, you're the most wonderful person I've ever spoken to, ever  _ looked at _ , you are totally worth it. We all love you  _ so much,  _ we'd never just leave you." Rich was trying to meet his gaze, but Jeremy's eyes continued to dart around the room, never stopping to rest on one thing.

"Love, look at us." Jake was kneeling in front of him now, next to Rich. Jeremy complied, blinking away the tears that'd begun to fall. "We all love you so fucking much, Rich isn't lying. What are you worried about?"

"I-" He sniffed. "I was thinking about the soulmate thing, a-and it's just - I was thinking, maybe you guys are all - all-"

They all stared at him, wide-eyed as he began to cry again, drowning out the fan, drowning out the radio.

_ Oh, I don't know what you've been told; but this gal right here's gonna rule the world. _

"I was thinking maybe you guys are all soulmates and al-already know, and you're gonna ditch me someday, a-and-"

"Jeremy,  _ please,  _ everything is monochromatic, trust me. Either that or I'm like, colorblind." Michael piped up, rubbing his back. "... man, it would  _ suck  _ if I was colorblind. Imagine touching your soulmate but never realizing it because you're colorblind."

"Michael, can you  _ try  _ to stay on topic?" Rich was glaring, although it wasn't really sincere glaring. It was more like  _ I'm pretending to be annoyed because you're doing stupid shit. _

"I-I just-" Jeremy sniffed again, burying his face in Michael's chest. "I'm so worried that you guys are - are gonna  _ leave,  _ and I'm gonna be all  _ alone _ -"

"Mahal, I promise you, we aren't going anywhere." Michael kissed the top of his head, still rubbing his back, trying to comfort him.

It did help, but only a little bit. He wasn't fully convinced. His hands curled into fists, gripping Michael's sweatshirt as he began to sob. Once he'd started, he couldn't seem to  _ stop,  _ the tears staining Michael's hoodie, spots of black against a dark gray. He began to whisper apologies, mumbled reparations, all stumbling over each other underneath the hum of the fan and the trill of the radio.

_ You get off on your 9 to 5; dream of picket fences and trophy wives. _

He finally pulled back - although he wasn't done crying - and put on a small smile. "Thank you, you guys. I-I'm sorry for acting like a paranoid idiot."

Rich pouted. "You aren't a paranoid idiot! That's Brooke's job. I love Brooke, but man… I think she's thought of every single bad thing that could happen ever."

Michael snorted. "Well, she and I can bond over that."

Jeremy smiled more as the exchange continued - this time a genuine, sincere smile. He ignored the pit in his stomach at the thought that they weren't his soulmates. He had to do what made him happy in the moment, right?

_ But no, I'm never gonna be, 'cause I don't wanna be.  _

Yeah. Right.

_ No, I don't wanna sit still look pretty. _

He closed his eyes with a smile.

He'd do whatever made him happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is?? getting more attention than expected. find me on tumblr at cacowhistle.tumblr.com


	3. ripped at every edge

"There's nothing to do," Rich whined, draped across Michael's lap as he laid back against the bed frame. A Spotify playlist hummed in the background as Jeremy sat on his phone, curled against Jake's side, Jake's arm around Michael's shoulders. Rich continued to whine. "It's too hot."

"You're too hot." The words slipped from Jeremy almost effortlessly, and he grinned as Rich spluttered, flushing a dark grey, and Michael and Jake laughed.

"S-smooth." Was all he managed to get out.

Jeremy hummed along to the radio. "I can be."

_ The more that I know you, the more I want to; something inside me's changed. _

"We could go swimming," Jake suggested, and Rich brightened up. 

"Dude,  _ yes.  _ We totally should." Michael sat up, nearly throwing Rich off of his lap. Then he paused. "Well, I mean, I'll go, but I'm not gonna swim."

"Hell yes. I'm down for whatever." Jeremy was already up, leaning over to turn off the radio.

_ I was so much younger yesterday, oh; I didn't know that I was starving 'til I tasted you. _

He continued to hum the song, even though the radio was off. Jake had gotten up, leaving Michael and Rich on the bed, Rich splayed out across Michael's lap. Michael rested his arms on top of Rich's head.

"You two gonna get up?"

"Still too hot."

Jake rolled his eyes. "Rich, I'm not going to carry you."

"Why not?" His voice was muffled as he buried it in Michael's hoodie, which was just kind of sitting on the bed next to them.

"I'm just not. Get Michael to do it."

Michael was already standing up, pushing Rich off of his lap. "Nope, not doin' it."

"Miiiiiiiichael," Rich whined, rolling over onto his back, staring up at Michael with a slight frown. "Why'd you doooo thaaaat."

Michael grinned, running a hand through his hair. "So you'll get up, dumbass."

" _ I'm  _ the dumbass?"

"Mmmhm."

_ Don't need no butterflies when you give me the whole damn zoo. _

Jeremy watched the exchange with bright eyes, admiring his boyfriends. How'd he get so lucky? He wasn't quite sure. He examined everything he loved about the other three - which was everything, of course, but there were still some specifics that he couldn't help but admire. Like Michael's smile, Rich's pale grey eyes, Jake's dark hair, frosted with white at the tips. Man, Jeremy was gay. He was really, really gay.

"So… beach?" Jake piped up again, and there was a chorus of "yeah"s from the other three in the room.

Jeremy watched Jake fist pump, grinning a little at the sight. He knew that Jake was really into swimming - and was also  _ really  _ good at it. So he was excited to see that.

It was still insanely hot out, but the mood was lighter, and none of them seemed to mind as much. There was excitement buzzing in the air, the four of them hadn't been outside or to the beach in a while, and Jake seemed to be the most excited out of all of them.

"Okay but Jake, listen, what if - Jake - Jake what if you're a merman. What if that's why you're so good at swimming and are practically addicted to water? What if that's it, Jake?"

Michael hung over the back of the passenger seat to talk to Jake while he drove - not safe, but since when had any of them been about safety? Jeremy sat in the passenger's seat, Michael's head pretty much resting on his shoulder. Rich sat in the back with Michael, surprisingly not the one to be causing the trouble this time around. He was oddly quiet, staring out the window as Jake drove. The radio hummed in the background, drowned out by Michael and Jake's talking, but Jeremy hummed the song that had been playing, that he could hardly remember.

_ By the way, right away you do things to my body. _

He watched out the open window as trees whipped past, a monochromatic blur of greys and white and black. It could be considered beautiful by those who found color unappealing, but the same bland appearance made nothing look good.

Color was important in  _ everything  _ \- society alone, fashion, dècor - art.

It was necessary in art. Without color, pieces would clash and nobody would collaborate with each other in fear of the idea that their partner hadn't met their soulmate. Photos wouldn't look good, clothing would clash horribly, everything would be empty and bland and  _ boring  _ and Jeremy was sick of it.

He wanted to meet his soulmate already. But he also didn't want to leave these three. He definitely didn't want to leave these three.

There was still some part of him desperately hoping that the world would flood with color when he leaned on Jake, or hugged Rich, or kissed Michael - but so far, nothing. That part of him was there, but now he'd mostly given up, enjoying the relationship while it lasted. Which was hopefully for a while. If they broke up, well… he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

_ I didn't know that I was starving 'til I tasted you. _

He snapped himself out of those thoughts as the van skidded to a stop. Now was not the time to worry the rest of them. He'd enjoy his time with them, and when the day came, he'd just get over it. He unbuckled his seatbelt, swinging open the car door. The radio in the car stopped, but there was a radio on the beach, blasting out the same song.

Jeremy hummed as he walked, trying to brighten up. One hand was intertwined with Jake's, the other with Michael's. Rich was on Michael's other side, carrying the cooler they'd brought (supplied with plenty of the Mountain Dew Red).

"Seriously, man. You've  _ gotta  _ be a merman." Michael was still bugging Jake about whatever they'd been talking about earlier, and Jeremy was just barely paying attention to the conversation, staring ahead of them at the populated beach.

A lot of people had the same idea as them. The beach was packed, with plenty of people - adults and kids alike - in the water and running on the beach. Jeremy didn't really hear or see the girls coming towards them, lost in his own thoughts. He only noticed once Christine was waving her hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Jer! There he is. What're you thinkin' about?" She looked up at him, and Jeremy shrugged.

"Nothing, really. It's really hot and I'm glad we aren't just staying in my microwave of a house." He continued his humming, this time paying attention to the group.

_ You hit me head on, got me weak in my knees, _

"It's true, his house is like an oven. I'm fairly certain I was being cooked." Michael piped up, swinging his and Jeremy's hand back and forth as they walked.

"Can confirm." Rich yawned, moving the cooler he was carrying to the other hand.

"Well, at least you all got outside for once in your lives." Chloe remarked, digging through her purse. After a moment, she pulled out her sunglasses, putting them on.

Brooke snorted, adjusting her sunhat. "Don't be mean, Chlo." She chirped, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Besides, I had to drag you out of bed this morning. So you shouldn't be talking."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You're the one who wanted to go to the beach."

"Actually that was Christine but okay." Brooke smiled, one hand taking Chloe's. 

"Well, we're all here now, and that's what we should focus on." Jake set down his towel as they made it to the umbrella the girls had set up.

Jeremy looked out over the beach again. He wasn't really sure of what he was going to do - he briefly considered just sitting for a little bit, but that'd be boring. He'd put on a ton of sunscreen, but he was fairly certain it wasn't going to help. He burned way too easily, jeez.

"Jeremiaaah, you should come in the waaaaater." Christine poked his arm, grinning. He shook his head with a sigh of resignation.

"Fine, I will." He set his towel out in an area the umbrella's shade reached to, then took off his shirt.  _ Nobody'll care about the scars, nobody'll even realize that's what they are. _

Christine led him, Jenna, and Rich down to the water, leaving her hat behind on her chair. She practically dove in, Rich quick to follow. Jenna and Jeremy exchanged a look, the cold water a little much for the both of them at that moment. A cold tingle ran up Jeremy's back once he'd gotten to his waist, and he froze up for a moment.

_ Yeah, something inside me's changed; _

He managed to relax, watching Christine pop up out of the water, and splash Jenna.

His eyes roamed the water, trying to find Rich.  _ He's going to try and do the same to me.  _ But he couldn't find him, the water rippling, undisturbed. He was about to give up, only to see Rich's head break the water as he turned around, and he locked up as freezing water cascaded onto his back.

A cold shock ran down his spine, and his hands clenched into fists under the water as he steadied his breathing.

He whirled around, retaliating, Rich ducking under before the splash reached him. Jenna had joined in, getting Christine soaked. Jeremy dove under the water, shivering at another freezing shock, but he was expecting it now, and it didn't faze him as much. He opened his eyes under the water, whipping around as he searched for Rich.

Nowhere in sight. There, however, was Jenna's feet. She hadn't gone under yet.

Jeremy went around behind, and he saw Christine approaching as well. She grinned at him, and the two of them surfaced at the same time, teaming up to soak Jenna.

The girl let out a screech, whirling around and sending a spray of water in their faces.

"Splash war!" Christine spluttered the words out, ducking under the water again as Rich came up.

Eventually, they'd gotten Jake, Michael, Brooke, and Chloe in on it too, the eight of them splashing each other at random, every single one of them soaked and laughing within minutes. Jeremy popped up behind Brooke, about to splash her, when she spun around, prepared to drench him.

"Nonono wait, wait, truce?" He'd scrambled backwards in a panic, and Brooke grinned, giggling.

"Hell yeah. Who do we get first?"

Jeremy's eyes scanned the water, and he saw Christine approaching.

"Her, I guess. Unless we want Chrissie on our side too." He smiled, and Brooke nodded.

The splash war continued for another few minutes, but eventually they were all trailing out of the water, dripping wet, but laughing all the while. Jeremy definitely felt better than he had earlier, on the way there. He watched all of his friends, sitting on the beach and drying off, laughing and talking.

_ I was so much younger yesterday, aye. _

Everything was… good.

Still monochromatic.

But good.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me at cacowhistle.tumblr.com!


End file.
